Semiya Payasam

Ingredients

Semiya – 2 cups

Milk – 7 cups

Sugar – 2 1/2 cups

Ghee – 3 tbsps

Cashews – Handful

Raisins – Handful

Elachi (cardomom) – 3

1. Add 2 tbsps of butter to a pan. Roast Cashews until golden brown color and keep it aside.

2. In the same pan, fry raisins until they puff up and keep them aside.

3. Fry Semiya in the same pan until golden brown color and keep it aside. In the mean while heat milk in a seperate vessel until boil (on medium flame).

4. While the milk is boiling, slowly add vermicelli to the same while mixing.

5. Let Semiya cook in the milk until almost done (keep stirring occassionally on medium flame).

6. Add Sugar, crushed Elachi powder, Cashews, Raisins and remaining ghee to the Payasam.

7. Let the payasam cook for a while

Tips : You can add more milk to the payasam based on the thickness you want it to be.

Saada Laddu

Saada laddus are very easy to make and are very tasty too. I learnt this recipe from my Mother-in-law and here it is for you.

Ingredients

Besan – 1 cup
Sugar – 1 1/2 Cup
Fresh grated coconut – 1/2 Cup
Elachi/Cardamom – 3 pods
Cashew – 10
Raisins – 10
Ghee – 1/2 cup
Water – 1/2 cup

1) Take a big pan and make sugar syrup with 1/2 cup of water. The consistency of the sugar syrup should be the same as we make for gulab jamun.
2) Slowly add grated coconut to the syrup by continously stirring.
3) Let the coconut boil in the syrup for 10 minutes.
4) Add Besan to syrup and stir it continously. Add ghee and keep stirring for about 10-15 mins until the raw smell is gone.
5) Crush Elachi in a pestle/mortar. Fry cashews and raisins in ghee. Add them to the pan along with Elachi powder.
6) Turn off the stove and let the mixture cool for around 15 mins.
7) Make the laddus and let them cool. Saada Laddus can be stored in an air tight container for more than 10 days.

Rava Kesari / Sooji Halwa

Ingredients Sooji / Upma Rava – 1 cup
Water – 3 cups
Sugar – 1 cup
Cardamom(Elachi) pods – 2
Cashews – 10
Raisins – 10
Kesari(Orange) food color – pinch
Ghee – 2 tbsp1) Heat 1 tbsp Ghee in a pan.
2) Add Sooji to the pan and start frying it on low heat.
3) Boil 3 cups of water in a seperate vessel.
4) Add food color to the boiled water.
5) After Sooji starts to give nice aroma, slowly start pouring boiled water while mixing. Make sure you continously mix Sooji without forming any lumps.
6) Add sugar slowly to the pan while mixing.
7) Fry Cashews and Raisins in 1 tbsp of ghee until golden brown.
Powder the Cardomom pods in a pestle/mortar.
9) Add fried cashews, raisins and cardamom powder to the Halwa and mix it once.

Kesari and Poori combination is a real treat.

Tip : We can even use milk and water combination instead of just water.

Paramannam – Rice pudding

This is my first recipe on this blog Paramannam/Annam Payasam is a traditional South Indian delicacy made on all festive occasions. Paramannam is a desert known to many cultures [1] all around the world. Paramannam is usually made with jaggery as the sweetener. Jaggery can also be substituted with sugar, like in my recipe. This is a simple and easy to cook dish.
IngredientsSona Masuri Rice – 1 cup
Pesara pappu (Moong Dal) – 1/2 cup
Milk (Whole Milk) – 6 Cups
Sugar – 1 1/2 cup
Ghee – 3 tbsp
Cardamom Pods – 3
Golden Raisins – 15
Cashews – 151. Wash rice and pesara pappu together and keep it aside.
2. Bring milk to boil in a deep non-stick pan on medium heat.
3. Add rice and pesara pappu in small portions to the boiling milk, (stir this mixture occasionally).
4. When the rice is very tender, add sugar, stir it till all the sugar dissolves. Now set the heat to medium-low.
5. In a small pan, heat ghee over medium heat and fry cashews. Then add raisins and fry them till the raisins puff up.
6. Add the ghee, fried cashews and fried raisins to the cooked rice.
7. Crush the cardamom pods and mix them thoroughly in paramannam.

Paramannam can be served hot or cold.
Serving size: 5

References:
1. Wikipedia